Best Chicken Enchiladas Ever!

This is my all-time favorite chicken enchilada recipe, made with a simple homemade red enchilada sauce that my friends all love.

I know that food bloggers are never prone to hyperbole. ;)

But with these enchiladas, I stand by the title that I gave to this recipe when I first blogged about it in 2009. These seriously are the best chicken enchiladas ever!

Actually, I’m ok saying that because I actually learned how to make this recipe for enchiladas from my friend, Liisa. She was my roommate for a few years back in my early twenties when I was learning how to cook. And let’s just say that I won the foodie roommate jackpot getting to live with a friend like her. She not only cooked breakfast, lunch, and dinner for herself almost every day, but she equally as obsessed with Mexican food as I was. And these chicken enchiladas were her specialty.

Nowadays, most of my friends would probably tell you that these chicken enchiladas are my specialty. I can’t even begin to count the times that I have made them. They are my go-to dish to bring to friends in need, they are my favorite freezer meal, they are perfect for Cinco De Mayo, and they are the epitome of a crowd-pleaser whenever I bring them to a gathering. Even just last night, I made a batch to take to a World Series watch party (#goroyals!), and when I went to grab the pan afterwards it was completely empty and washed and dried and waiting for me. (Yes, my friends know that doing my dishes is my love language.) ;)

So since this recipe has been buried in the archives for years, I thought I would pull it back up today to share the enchilada love with you. Because I’m pretty positive you need these in your life now.

First off, here’s a photo of the enchiladas that I snapped back in 2009. Fun fact, this was actually the third recipe ever posted on Gimme Some Oven.

And here they are today. Same enchiladas, but I’m going through a garnishing phase now, so they get a little sprinkle of cilantro. ;)

Really, these enchiladas are pretty simple. They are filled with a chicken/onion/green chile mixture, black beans, and shredded cheese. But the secret ingredient which is an absolute must is…

The special sauce. Oh, this sauce. After the first time I tried it, I knew that my store-bought red enchilada sauce days were over. It is a New Mexico-style sauce (where Liisa is from), and it basically turns any enchilada dish you make into pure gold. And, it’s super easy to make using spices and ingredients that you probably already have on hand.

Trust me. You won’t regret taking the extra time to make this red enchilada sauce. (And while you’re at it, make a double or triple batch and freeze or can or giveaway the leftovers!)

So to make the enchiladas, just spread a generous amount of sauce on each tortilla, then add on some black beans (they are a great protein-packed “filler”), the chicken/onion/green chile saute, some shredded Mexican cheese…

…and then roll ’em up and place each enchilada in a large baking dish. Then pour the extra enchilada sauce on top, and add on some extra cheese for good measure. And gimme some oven! I mean, bake it on up. :)

20 minutes later, a steaming pan of delicious enchiladas will be ready to go.

You can garnish it with some fresh cilantro (a la 2014) if you’d like. ;)

But you’re probably just going to want to dive right in. Because as good as these puppies look, they smell and taste 10 times better.

Ok, actually enchiladas in a single serving aren’t the prettiest. But hey, at least they taste good.

Seriously, I can’t recommend this recipe enough. Biggest thanks to Liisa for teaching me how to make it so many years ago, and even though we now live half a country apart, I love that I still think of her whenever I make them. That’s what happens when good food and friendship come together, right?

Directions:

In large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and saute for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add diced chicken and green chiles, and season with salt and pepper. Saute for 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the chicken is cooked through. Remove from heat and set aside.

To assemble the enchiladas, set up an assembly line including: tortillas, enchilada sauce, beans, chicken mixture, and cheese. Lay out a tortilla, and spread two tablespoons of sauce over the surface of the tortilla. Add beans in a line down the middle of the tortilla, then add in a spoonful of the chicken mixture, then sprinkle with 1/3 cup cheese. Roll up tortilla and place in a greased 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Repeat with the remaining ingredients. Then spread the remaining enchilada sauce on top of the tortillas, and sprinkle on the remaining shredded cheese.

*If you are using pre-cooked chicken, just leave it out of the saute and cook the onion and green chiles for 1 additional minute (instead of 6-8). Once you remove the onion and green chiles from the heat, stir in the chicken (which should be shredded or chopped into bite-sized pieces).

This is the first time I’ve ever made enchiladas and wow, these are great! I made a side of cilantro-lime rice to go with it – YUM.
However, I used the Morton & Bassett Chili Powder for the enchilada sauce and still only put 3 Tbs. I ended up reducing it too long and added a cup of chicken stock to take the sauce further and to make it a little more spreadable. It is still pretty spicy for me, which is surprising! I like spicy. I think next time I’ll only use 2 Tbs of chili powder, or perhaps just one.

I made this sauce to out on pulled chicken for tacos today. I totally suck at following directions and always want to make it my own. After the sauce was done I added a splash of tequila and the zest and juice of one lime. Totally freshened it up and made the flavours pop! Thanks for this delish recipe!

Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven — September 4th, 2016 @ 8:36 pm

You’re welcome, Jessica! We’re happy you enjoyed these, and we think the tequila and lime sound like awesome additions! :)

followed the recipe as given (I not a cook) but mind seem to come out a little dry on top…the inside were delicious but needed more sauce? Again not a cook but trying.

Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven — September 16th, 2016 @ 12:39 pm

Hi Linda! Thanks for your feedback — we’re sorry these came out kind of dry! Do you think maybe the sauce could have cooked down and reduced too much? We’re wondering if that’s what happened, since they shouldn’t be dry on top. If you don’t think that’s what happened, maybe you could try doing 1 1/2 the sauce recipe next time. We hope that helps! :)

These sound scrumptious and I’ll be making these tomorrow afternoon :) The only thing I’ll do differently is use chopped green onions for garnish instead (cilantro gives me heart burn, go figure lol). I can’t wait to try your friend Lisa’s Red Sauce. Making myself hungry!! Thanks for sharing!
I be checking back on your site to see what else you share :)

My understanding of Mexican cuisine has always been that enchiladas/tacos/taquitos are made with corn tortillas and burritos/chimichangas are made with flour tortillas. I’ll be using your filling & your enchilada sauce, but I’ll continue to use corn tortillas for my enchiladas. I’m too old to start breaking with tradition now. :-) Thanks for the red sauce recipe!

Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven — September 25th, 2016 @ 3:08 pm

That’s completely true, we just prefer the flour ones for this, but definitely feel free to use whichever you prefer. We hope you enjoy the sauce!

I had asked you about baking and then freezing. I wanted to to say thank you for the advice, and to let you know it was very helpful. O have gotten into the habit of doing as much prep work for my dinners as I can in advance. I cook all my meat for the meals I have planned for 2weeks and freeze it. I am a very busy mom and run a house of 6. This dish is the only meal that had me stumped on how I should prepare it in advance. So once again thank you for your advice. I am sorry it took so long for me to say thank you.

I have cooked this 3 or 4 times now for family and when having guests over and its a hit with everybody!
The sauce is incredible, thank-you for the amazing recipe, truly is the best enchilada recipe around

Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven — September 27th, 2016 @ 12:45 pm

We’re so glad to hear that, JR! And thank you for giving the sauce and the enchiladas a try! :)

I have to tell you how delicious this is. It is easy and healthy as well. It’s one of my go to crowd meals and people always ask for the recipe. I make it every few weeks. Thank you for a recipe that is a staple for me when I’m trying to stay healthy yet eat filling delicious food. Also if you haven’t made it yet the enchilada sauce it is much better than store bought. Without a doubt! Thank you!

Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven — October 5th, 2016 @ 1:40 pm

Thanks for your sweet words, Gina! We’re so happy you enjoy both the sauce and the enchiladas! :)

Tonight will be the 6th time I’ve made this recipe. I follow the recipe and viola, a fantastic meal with delicious left overs. As the sauce recipe notes, based on taster peference, I use only 2 tbs of the chili powder.

I really think you’ll like this meal. The taste to effort ratio is off the scale. (Easy to make, tastes great)
John

This recipe looks great! I’m hoping to bake a double batch of these for the presidential debate watch party tomorrow (groan) — do I need to change anything (oven temp, cook time) to cook two batches at once?

Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven — October 10th, 2016 @ 12:32 pm

Awesome, we hope you enjoyed them! And we’ve never tried cooking two batches at once, so it’s hard to say. We do know it depends on the item you’re baking. For these, we would just recommend setting the timer and temp for what’s listed in the recipe, and then add more time if necessary. We hope this helps!

Hello, I made this recipe for the first time and they were simply delicious and mouth watering. What enhance should the flavor is adding the shredded cheese and extra sauce on the enchiladas after preparing them in the dish. Awesome recipe! The family enjoyed it. Made two batches. Tim

Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven — October 14th, 2016 @ 1:06 pm

Thanks for sharing with us, Tim — we’re so happy you and your family enjoyed these! :)

I am trying to make these and freeze them. Do they freeze & reheat well. Any suggestions please.
Preparing some meals so my daughter in law can just reheat.
Thank you, Rose

Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven — October 27th, 2016 @ 4:32 pm

Hi Rose! Yes, you can freeze these. They can either be baked and then frozen once cooled, or assembled,(unbaked), then frozen and baked later. If you’re freezing them after assembling, just leave off the sauce and cheese that go on top. If you bake these and then freeze them (again, just make sure they’ve cooled completely before popping them into the freezer), top with the sauce and cheese, and bake (covered) for about 30 minutes, then uncover and bake for 15 minutes (or until the cheese is bubbling and golden brown). We hope this is helpful!

It is exactly what it says it is. The best I have ever made, and eaten. My wife brags about it as well as do I. I made it twice, and she made it once. We will be having this dish at least once every two weeks. Thank you for this wonderful dish, we will be looking for more recipes to try.

First of all, everything I make comes from this website! You guys are the BEST! I am making these enchiladas again for some friends but I am using pre-cooked chicken this time. How many cups do you estimate I will need? Or do I just go with however much I think will be needed? Thanks!!!

I made these last night using corn tortillas. Although I doubled the sauce, it was still almost not enough. I had unexpected company and was leery of serving an untried recipe, but I was well into the preparation of it for dinner for my husband and myself, so I decided to go ahead and serve it. It was a little labor intensive, but so worth it. My guests and my husband all agreed that they were the best enchiladas they’ve ever had, at any place, at any time. I believe the sauce was what made them so good. I made the sauce a day ahead which I think allowed it to thicken up and smoothen. I pressure cooked the chicken (a mixture of breasts and thighs) with some of the enchilada sauce and water, then shredded it and added it to the onions and chilies. I was able to make 12 enchiladas. It’s definitely a keeper recipe.

Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven — October 28th, 2016 @ 12:09 pm

Thanks for sharing with us, Elaine, and for giving both the sauce and the enchiladas a try! We’re so glad they were a hit wit your guests! :)

These are delicious! Wondering if I could also make these in a crockpot. Any suggestions?

Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven — November 7th, 2016 @ 11:58 am

Thanks, Ashley! We haven’t tried this particular recipe in a crockpot before, but there definitely are enchilada recipes out there that are made in the crockpot, so you could consult one of those. We hope this helps!

Great Recipe but I added some other ingredients into the Enchilada Sauce, although Ali’s recipe is great base one can improvise on. I added a 1/2 can of tomato paste and a bit of brown sugar to cut out the bitterness. Also had to add a little more flour (corn starch did the trick) to get the thickness I desired.
As for the filling, I couldn’t be bothered with assembling the ingredients step by step so all enchilada fill ingredients were cooked together, adding a bit green pepper and garlic to the mix, ensuring the liquid this creates was cooked off (so that the enchiladas don’t get soggy). Great recipe base Ali, thank you for the info!

Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven — November 14th, 2016 @ 11:37 am

Thanks for sharing with us, Linda — we’re glad you enjoyed these and that’s great that you adapted the sauce to your liking! :)

This wasn’t the first time I’ve made enchiladas, which our family loves, but this recipe was not one I’d ever use again. It tasted so bland and boring, and when you look at the recipe this makes sense because chicken and onion and green chilis with salt and pepper is hardly an enchilada, black beans or not. Then the special sauce like “gold” tasted like chili powder soup. We had to doctor our finished enchiladas with green onions, cilantro (recipe says this was optional but its a necessity for any flavor) fresh lime juice, and serve with sour cream and salsa over mexican rice. So it ended up being more like a burrito.
This was SO strange considering all the amazing reviews. Although we prefer to eat homemade, even the Old El Paso recipes are much better than this one.

Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven — November 15th, 2016 @ 10:29 am

We appreciate your feedback, Jenny, and we’re sorry to hear you didn’t care for this.

Hi there! I saw your previous reply to someone regarding how you suggest freezing this awesome recipe!
This may be a dumb questions (I’m new to freezing meals and trying to get into more of a habit of it so we can benefit LONGER from deliciousness that we cook in our home!) but when you say:
“Top with the sauce and cheese, and bake (covered) for about 30 minutes, then uncover and bake for 15 minutes (or until the cheese is bubbling and golden brown).”
Do you mean I can put them straight into the over from the freezer or is it necessary to defrost them for some period first?? And what temperature would you recommend?
Thanks SO much for clarifying!
-EB

Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven — November 21st, 2016 @ 7:52 pm

Hi Eliza, that’s not a dumb question at all! Yes, you can put these directly in the oven from the freezer, and 350 should be fine. We hope you enjoy!

Don’t know what I did wrong with the red sauce, but I could not get it to thicken up. I made 2 batches . The first was too ‘strong’ with 4 T chili powder so I made another one using only 2T. I cooked it longer than required and it was never thick, very runny. Could I have added more flour in the beginning? I know you said colors would vary, but it was a dark brown, nothing like your picture, which looked more like spaghetti sauce to me. Thoughts?

Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven — November 21st, 2016 @ 7:12 pm

We’re sorry you had trouble with this, Robin! :( Sometimes we find we need to cook the sauce a bit longer and at a higher heat to get it to thicken up even more. And the type of chili powder you use really does affect the color of the sauce. Ours was actually browner than it looks in the photo (the light made it look redder when we shot those pics). Some people do like adding tomato sauce or tomato paste to this recipe and that would definitely make it redder, so you’re welcome to give that a try next time if you like!

Hey, I’m Ali!

And I’m so happy you’re here!! So many of my favorite memories in life seem to take place around the table, especially when surrounded by people I love. And of course, all the better when nourished by some seriously delicious food. So I created this site to share my favorite recipes and stories with you, in hopes that they might inspire and help us all to spend more time around the table and savor the good stuff in life. Cheers, friends! more about me »